ICS says shipping is resolute on sustainability despite US decision on Paris Agreement
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is set to announce at a UN forum in New York on Tuesday that the global maritime industry will not be diverted from ocean sustainability goals, despite the US decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on Climate Chanentge.
London-headquartered ICS is the world’s leading shipping organization, whose shipowner membership represents around 80% of merchant tonnage. Its focus is on regulatory, operational and legal matters.
ICS spokesmen attending the UN Ocean Conference from Monday to Friday will assure all-comers that US President Donald Trump’s announcement last week “will have no impact” on world shipping’s commitment to reducing its CO2 emissions.
And ICS says it will also advocate for further reduction targets next month in London, when the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will open the first of a series of meetings to develop a strategy for greater cuts to emissions from ships.
IMO, also based in London, is a specialized agency of the UN responsible for regulating shipping.
Meanwhile members of the US administration have been responding to widespread criticism of the country’s Paris withdrawal by saying the country is still committed to protecting the environment.
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said the US remained a leader in environmental cleanup.
And Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said America would continue its efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, saying the Paris pullout is a policy decision but that it would not change those efforts.
